Report Summary
This report provides members of the Policing Performance Committee with an overview of the Cyber Kiosk Update.
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Meeting
The publication discussed was referenced in the meeting below
Policing Performance Committee - 7 December 2022
Date : 07 December 2022
Location : online
Cyber Kiosk – Next Steps
As envisaged during the introduction of Cyber Kiosks, Police Scotland wish to continue to review and enhance the service to the public. An example of this is that the 41 systems are currently not ‘networked’. This is an extremely inefficient process meaning that important software and security updates and the capture of management cannot be performed remotely and can only be conducted by physically travelling round the 41 locations. Prior to making any changes in such processes we will be fully exploring and documenting any impact around human rights, ethics and data privacy, which will be conducted in consultation with the SPA.
Cyber Kiosks will also significantly benefit from developments to the the Police Scotland IT network, which will facilitate the rollout of a single national system to effectively record and monitor the movement of case-related productions (UNIFI). This system will deliver the capability to effectively record and monitor the movement of case-related productions and track them from the point of seizure, through to any examination processes, presentation at court and ultimate return to the owner. It will also apply to seized mobile phone devices and provide much-needed management information to allow Police Scotland to understand blockages and remedy any inefficient practices and processes. This element of work is being progressed as part of our ‘Policing in a Digital World’ programme and is due for completion in by the end of 2023.
The ability of Cyber Kiosks to provide an evidential product at the point of first opportunity is also being further explored as it should be noted that some of the issues arising from the slower return of devices could be remedied by using the full capabilities of the system. This would mean that investigators could print or download relevant product at triage stage meaning that the majority of devices could be returned to the owner immediately. Once again, any such changes to these processes would only be conducted following rigorous assessment and engagement to ensure that any such benefits would not compromise the standards, safeguards and public confidence which we know is essential to maintain in the police use of technology.
